Change Your Image
Helebo
Reviews
Hip-Hop Evolution (2016)
Brilliant & insightful, all done with a light-touch
I really loved this series. For me Shad has a brilliantly low-key and easy style with the people he's speaking to; a lovely way of really getting them talking. As a fellow rapper it's clear he's passionate about the subject and genuinely engaged in the conversations.
BUT as a major fan of the genre since the early nineties the one thing that feels to have been significantly overlooked in my mind is female rappers/ mc's. You'd think ladies really didn't play much of a part in this world.
Queen Latifah, Lil' Kim, Rah Diggah, TLC, Missy and her partnership with Timberland are all briefly touched on, but it really is brief and not representative of their influence on the industry. Tbh arguably one of the biggest female rappers Lil' Kim is mainly on there to talk about Biggie and not her own artistry.
Also what about Foxy Brown, Eve, Salt 'n' Peppa (& Spinderella), Lauryn Hill etc? Let's have some more episodes with a focus on this please :-). Also no Arrested Development?
Just means you'll have to make more, it's a win-win ;-)
Starstruck (2021)
Spot-on
This is really excellent.
Short, bite-sized episodes mean you can't help but watch the next one :-). Excellent writing by Rose Matafeo and the performances from her and the rest of the cast are perfectly pitched. Really well observed, genuinely funny and full of heart.
Workin' Moms (2017)
Not for me
I wanted to like this show and it has potential as a concept; mother's, their work, lives, loves, friendships etc
However, in any programme, we need to find some kind of connection with the characters.
Some way in, to make us want to keep watching...
...and yet here, pretty much everyone is so unlikeable and self-absorbed that it completely alienates and distances the viewer. The only character I felt any connection with or empathy for is Ian.
When a show is this hard work to watch, it's probably just not worth it.